title: Decentralized laboratory testing: attitudes of physicians and medical students.
abstract: Attitudes regarding the use of decentralized laboratory testing were examined in two groups of district physicians (DP; n = 15), a group of physicians undergoing postgraduate training as specialists in general medicine (PP; n = 17), and a group of medical students who had completed five years of basic studies (MS; n = 15). A sorting test was employed involving 56 cards with names of laboratory tests presently or soon available for use within primary health care. The DPs showed a relatively high consensus concerning which analyses were needed most for near-to-patient testing. MSs (who had a basically hospital-oriented education) differed from DPs and PPs in emphasizing the need for a greater number of directly available tests in primary health care. The differences probably reflect differences in clinical experience. The importance of practically oriented education is stressed.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Sciences, Lund University, Dalby, Sweden.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hovelius
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tryding
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D006801:Humans; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000193:education*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*